Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1887-12-23

yOung-and see the answers he
gets. Unless more fortunate than
some others who have tried the
same experiment, he will be--tO
put it mildly-astonished. That
the Bible is read more than any
other book may be freely admitted ;
out the point we urge is-and facts
will sustain us-that it is not read
az generally as it ought to be, not
nearly as much as is commonly sup
posed and that there are hun
dreds, if not thousands, in every
large community, OF what are con-
sidered intelligent persons, to
wbom-for all the personal ac-
quaintance they have with them
by reading-the Old and New Tes-
taments might just as well have
remained in their original Hebrew
and Greek. Let us suppose that
instead of being known to the world
for thousands of years, it had been
though as old as it Is believed to
be-recently discovered found, as
Tischendorf found the manuscript
of the famous Sinaltic COdex in the
convent of st. Catharine, on Mt.
Sinai, IN 1874 and 1859. Let us
suppose that during the process OF
translation and publication e.
tracts from the more important
portions had been given to the
public through the daily press or
in pamphlet. With what eagerness
would all Europe and America
wait the appearance of the complet-
ed book; and when it appeared,
what man or woman, young or old,
with mond above the clods, would
not read ii. or have it read to them.
If the Bible had nothing to recon-
mend it but reputation-leaylng
its Divine authorship out Of the
question altOge'ber-even then
not to read it wOuld be nothing
less than a crime against the intel
lectual and moral nature. Here Is
what has been said bv one who
did not believe in its inspiration,
or only IN that kind OF inspiration
which is given, in various degree,
to all great and good men who
strive to lead their iellOwmen
through darkness up to the light
that is in God:
"This collection of books has
taken such hold upon the world
as no other. The literature OF
Greece, which goes up like incense
from that land of temples and heroic
deeds, has not half the influence
of this book from a nation alike
desplsed in ancient and modern
times. 1t is read OF q Sunday In
all the thirty thousand pulplts in
our land. In all the temples OF
Chrlstendom is its voice lifted up
week by week, The sun never seto
upon its cleaning page. 1t goec
equally to the cottage Of the plain
man and the palace of the king
1t is woven into the literature OF
the scholar, and colors the talk OF
the street. The bark of the mer-
chant cannot sail the sea without
it; no ship Of war goes to tho con-
nict without the Bible is there,
1t enters mems closets mIngle3 in
all the grief and oheerfulrsas OF
life. The afianced maiden prsJo
God in Scripture for strength II
her new duties; men are married
by Scripture. The Bible attends
them in their sickness The2 the
fever of the world is On then tho
aching head finds a softer pillow
if such leaves lie underneath. The
mariner, escaping from shipwreck,
clutches this first OF bis trea0uFesl
and keeps it sacred to ;icd. =
goes with the peddler in his crowd
ed pack cheers him at evontidc
when he sits down duc.y and ia
tigued brightsns the freshness ol
his morning face. It bless5o NJ
when we are born; gives names tc
halt Christendom rejolces with MS
has sympathy for our mourning
tempers our grief to finer issues. Ii
is the better part Of our sermons
1t lifts man above himself; our bes
of uttered prayers are in its slorieC
speech, wherewith our fathers anC
the patriarchs prayed. The tlmiC
man, about awaking from his dream
of life, looks through the glass o
Scripture and his eye grows bright
he does not fear 20 stand alone, Il
tread the way unknown and dis
, tant, to take the death angel b,
, the hand, and bid farewell to wifi
+ and babies and home. Menrest o.
this their dearest hopes. 1t tell
! them of God and His blessed Son
, of earthly duties and of heavenl
, rest. Foolish men find it tn
T source of Plato's wisdom, and th
r science of Newton, and the art
DoDhaaI Mon xvho haliava notl